Alfred Winsor Brown II (November 6, 1885 – September 7, 1938) was a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

captain who served as the 31st

naval governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( ch, I Maga'låhen / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territo ...

. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1907, serving aboard a number of ships in many different capacities soon after. He returned to the academy on staff before serving as the first commanding officer of . From 1924 to 1926, he served as Guamanian governor before attending the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

and serving on the staff of a number of high-ranking naval officers. He then served as commanding officer of and the

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Founded in 1800, PNS is U.S. Navy's oldest continuo ...

. Soon after assuming command of , Brown died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Early life

On November 6, 1885, Brown was born as Alfred Winsor Brown, II in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Brown's father was Alfred Winsor Brown, I (1857-1922). Brown's mother was Meribah Tallman (nee Josselyn) Brown (1855-1939).

Career

Brown entered the

in 1903, graduating in 1907. In 1906, he began service aboard , transferring to

Asiatic Squadron The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily inv ...

and the USS ''Rhode Island'' until 1912. In 1914, he transferred to before becoming

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

aboard . For 1916, he served as executive officer aboard . In 1917, Brown returned to the Naval Academy as a staff member. On July 25, 1919, launched with Brown in command and served with the Pacific Fleet. He was stationed at the

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted u ...

from 1923 until August 1924. Brown then served as Governor of Guam from August 26, 1924, to August 7, 1926. While still a governor, from 1925 Brown was also a member and recorder of the

Board of Inspection and Survey The Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) is a United States Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess the material condition of U.S. Navy vessels. The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virgin ...

. From 1930 to 1931, Brown attended the

, after which he served in the office of the

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depar ...

and the office of the Chief of Naval Operations. He became commanding officer of in 1932. From 1935 to 1937, he served as commander of the

, before being appointed commander of in 1937. During his career, he earned three medals: the

Mexican Service Medal The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military for service in Mexico from 1911 to 1919. History The Mexican Service Medal awarded by the Army was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December ...

, the World War I Victory Medal, and the

Order of Abdon Calderon Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Personal life

In 1912, Brown married Marguerite Boynton. They had four children, Alfred Winsor Brown, Jr., Barbara Brown, Jean Brown, and Mary Boynton Brown. On September 7, 1938, Brown died of a

in an

apartment hotel An apartment hotel or aparthotel (also residential hotel, or extended-stay hotel) is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can "chec ...

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

. Brown's funeral service took place aboard . Brown is interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

on September 14, 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Alfred Windsor 1885 births 1938 deaths Governors of Guam United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Academy faculty People from Chelsea, Massachusetts Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Naval War College alumni Military personnel from Massachusetts